A vivid expression of fourth-century
Christian thought, equally orthodox and original, the carved ivory
reliquary known as the Brescia Casket has perplexed and fascinated
scholars for two centuries. Fifty-nine carvings of biblical depictions
and Christian symbols are deployed on it in a coordinated program whose
very proportions are meaningful: on each surface the New Testament is
allotted more physical area than the Old, and from every angle the New
Testament is focal. St. Augustine's coining of the word play of
velatio / revelatio is expressed as a visual pun on the front, in the
focal depiction of Christ preaching in the Synagogue. Augustine's
clavis crucis, referring to typological exegesis, proves to be the key
to the entire iconographic program. Balanced representation of the
sexes is a consistent feature of the Brescia Casket, with men and women
shown in positive and negative relation to God. For instance, on the
front are Susanna and Daniel as prefigurations of Christ in his
Passion, while on the back are Sapphira and Ananias, exemplifying
self-destructive rejection of God; on the ends are the resurrections of
Jairus's daughter and Lazarus. Types of Christ in his Passion
encircle the casket. Derived from the Commendatio animae, these types
were selected for their twofold valence as examples of Christian hope
and as types of Christ in his Passion. The Samuel H. Kress Foundation
generously funded the 163 illustrations in the fully indexed
volume.